Teen Backpack

We will guide up to 8 youth from 13 to 18 years old on a 4 day backpack trip into the backcountry. The youth will be guided by 4 adults, each experienced in one or more of the following areas: wilderness travel and camping, wilderness guiding and/or grief support group facilitation. This trip will take place in low elevation on the Olympic Peninsula, specific location TBD. Drop off and pick up in Olympia, WA.

This trip is for all experience levels. If you have never been backpacking, or even camping, we are ready to accompany you on this journey. You will need to be able to walk 3-4 miles in a day, and be able to carry a 30-35 pound pack.

What to Expect:

You will learn backpacking skills including wilderness food prep, camp siting and setup, old school backcountry navigation with compass and maps, leave no trace methods, and staying safe in the wild. Along the way your curiosity about geology, plants, birds, stars, and weather will be stoked. We will have activities and conversations about grief and how that impacts you as we hike along the trail. You will be with peers who have had people die and so you will not have to explain yourself. We believe the best support you can have is each other. You will also be with leaders who have skills and experience in guiding. The entire camp experience is designed to support the participants and have some fun. One thing that sets our April backpack apart from our Summer trips is drinking hot cocoa around the campfire. We often don’t get to have campfires on Summer trips because of high elevation and fire danger.

For more info, please review the FAQs

This trip is full. Apply here for one of our summer trips!

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Open until filled. Apply early for your best chance to secure a spot on the trip!

Campfire at April 2022 Teen Backpacking Trip.